eyes; I will move ftorms; I will condole in fome mea fure. To the reft;-yet, my chief humour is for a tyrant; I could play Ercles rarely, or a part to tear a cat in: To make all split-(3) "the raging rocks, "and fhivering fhocks fhall break the locks of prison gates-and Phibbus carr fhall fhine from far, and "make and mar the foolish fates"-This was lofty. Now name the rest of the players. This is Ercles' vein, a tyrant's vein; a lover is more condoling. Quin. Francis Flute, the bellows-mender. Quin. You must take Thify on you. Flu. What is Thisby, a wand'ring Knight? Flu. Nay, faith, let not me play a woman; I have a beard coming. Quin. That's all one, you fhall play it in a mask; and you may speak as fmall, as you will. Bot. An I may hide my face, let me play Thiby too; I'll speak in a monitrous little voice, Thifne, Thifne; ah, Pyramus, my lover dear, thy Thisby dear, and Lady dear. Quin. No, no, you must play Pyramus; and Flute, you, Thiby. Bot. Well, proceed. Quin. Robin Starveling, the taylor.. Star. Here, Peter Quince. Quin. Robin Starveling, you must play Thifty's mother. (4) Tom Snowt, the tinker. (3) The raging rocks And fhivering fhocks, &c.] I prefume this to be either a quotation from fome fuftian old play, which I have not been able to trace ; or if not a direct quotation, a ridicule on some bombast rants, very near resembling it. (4) you must play Thilby's mother.] There feems a double forgetfulness of our Poet, in relation to the characters of this Inter. lude. The father and mother of Thisbe, and the father of Pyramus, are here mentioned, who do not appear at all in the Interlude: but Wall and Moonshine are both employ'd in it, of whom there is not the leaft notice taken here. Snowt. Snowt. Here, Peter Quince. Quin. You, Pyramus's father; myfelf, Thisby's father; Snug, the joiner; you, the lion's part; I hope, there is a play fitted. Snag. Have you the lion's part written? pray you, if it be, give it me, for I am flow of study. Quin. You may do it extempore, for it is nothing but roaring. Bot. Let me play the lion too; I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me. I will roar, that I will make the Duke fay, let him roar again, let him roar again. Quin. If you should do it too terribly, you would fright the Dutchefs and the Ladies, that they would fhriek, and that were enough to hang us all. All. That would hang us every mother's fon. Bot. I grant you, friends, if you fhould fright the Ladies out of their wits, they would have no more difcretion but to hang us; but I will aggravate my voice fo, that I will roar you as gently as any fucking dove; I will roar you an 'twere any nightingale. Quin. You can play no part but Pyramus, for Pyramus is a fweet-fac'd man; a proper man, as one fhall fee in a fummer's day; a moft lovely gentleman-like man: therefore you muft needs play Pyramus. Bot. Well, I will undertake it. best to play it in? Quin. Why, what you will. What beard were I Bot. I will difcharge it in either your straw-colour beard, your orange-tawny-beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or your French crown-colour'd beard; your perfect yellow. Quin. (5) Some of your French crowns have no hair at all, and then you will play bare-fac'd. But, mafters, here are your parts; and I am to intreat you, request you, and defire you, to con them by to-morrow-night; and meet me in the palace-wood, a mile without the (5) Some of your French crowns have no bair at all.] See the third note on Measure for Measure, which explains this dark paffage.. town town, by moon-light, there we will rehearse; for if we meet in the city, we fhall be dog'd with company, and our devices known. In the mean time I will draw a bill of properties, fuch as our play wants. I pray you, fail me not. Bot. We will meet, and there we may rehearse more obscenely and courageously. Take pains, be perfect, adieu. Quin. At the Duke's oak we meet. Bot. Enough; hold, or cut bow-ftrings. [Exeunt. ****** ****X*X*X*X*X} II. ACT SCENE, A Wood. Enter a Fairy at one door, and Puck (or Robin-good How fellow) at another. PUCK. WOW now, fpirit, whither wander you; Through bush, through briar, Over park, over pale, Through flood, through fire, Because that she, as her attendant, hath A lovely A lovely boy, ftol'n from an Indian king: Crowns him with flow'rs, and makes him all her joy. Fai. Or I mistake your fhape and making quite, Puck. Thou fpeak'st aright; I am that merry wand'rer of the night : In And when the drinks, against her lips I bob, But make room, fairy, here comes Oberon. Fai. And here my mistress: would, that he were gone! Enter Enter Oberon King of Fairies at one door with his train, and the Queen at another with hers. Ob. Ill met by moon-light, proud Titania. Queen. What, jealous Oberon ? fairies, skip hence, I have forfworn his bed and company. Ob. Tarry, rafh wanton; am not I thy Lord? Playing on pipes of corn, and verfing love Ob. How can't thou thus for fhame, Titania, Knowing, I know thy love to Thefeus? Didft thou not lead him through the glimmering night And make him with fair Ægle break his faith, Queen. These are the forgeries of jealousy: (6) From Perigenia, whom he ravish'd:] Thus all the editors, either not knowing, or not attending to, the hiftory of this Lady, have falfely call'd her but our Author, who diligently perus'd Plu tarch, and glean'd from him, where his fubject would admit, knew, from the life of Thefeus, that her name was Perigyne (or Perigune) by whom Thefeus had his fon Melanippus. She was the daughter of Sinnis a cruel robber, and tormenter of paffengers in the Ifthmus Plutarch and Athenæus are both exprefs in the circumftance of Thefeus ravishing her and the former of them adds (as Diod. Siculus, Apollodorus and Paufanias, likewife tell us ;) that he killed her father into the bargain. I corrected this mistake of the name in my SHAK ESPEARE reflor'd; and Mr. Pope has vouchfafed to correct from me in his last edition. |